the profound

Instead of being turned off by asshats, eccentrics, and general offbeat oddities, I’m going to look at it as interesting character fodder. As in, my aren’t you just fascinating. Because sometimes those weirdos are just inescapable, so you might as well get something out of interacting with them. Even people you like often do/say outrageous things that you could not think up in your narrowly viewed mind.

And here is when real life turns out to be way better than any fiction story ever told. Sometimes you just can’t make this shit up. That’s why people write about who and what they know. Take this convo for instance—ah, the mind of five year olds:

Chase: Charlie, I'm studying a really cool ocean animal in school and it's really cute and I want to tell you what it's called. it's called a piping plover.
Charlie: I love piping plovers!!
Chase: I know! They lay an egg EVERY DAY!
Charlie: Dude, you are so lucky. that is so cool!

Sometimes the most off-handed comments are the most memorable. I was talking to a fifteen year old girl who had finally moved back in with her mother after being in foster care for half her life. She told me how when she was younger, adults would always tell her wistfully about how they missed being young and carefree, too. And at eight years old, she would agree with them. The words she used were succinct, but they implied so much.

It’s really the simplest things in life that are the most interesting. Comedians find the funny in daily life. Poets find the beauty. No matter how daringly unique you think you are, you are not the only one to have insightful thoughts. Everyone, even (especially!) a five year old, has profound thoughts. And no, I do not think that acknowledging that makes me profound in any way. In fact, I’m fairly certain I stole that line from someone else.

I don’t know if I’ve ever said anything that made someone think, “Wow, cool,” but people impress me every day. Shine on, you crazy stars.


“Blame” by Shel Silverstein

I wrote such a beautiful book for you
'Bout rainbows and sunshine
And dreams that come true.
But the goat went and ate it
(You knew that we would),
So I wrote you another oneFast as I could.
Of course it could never be
Nearly as great
As that beautiful book
That the silly goat ate.
So if you don't like
This new book I just wrote--
Blame the goat.